When artistic gymnast Lihie Raz arrived at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, aged just 17, she wasn’t sure if she truly belonged on one of the world’s greatest sporting stages.
Since then, however, Raz has established herself as one of the country’s leading artistic gymnasts, representing Israel at the Paris Olympics in 2024, as well as at multiple European Championships.
Today, aged 22, Raz is known in the sport for her resilience, consistency, and steady rise through international gymnastics.
Leap of faith
Raz’s journey to the Olympics began long before Tokyo. She started out like many young Israeli girls – enrolling in a gymnastics class at the tender age of six, and never imagining that she would eventually compete against the world’s best athletes.
By age 12, however, she was showing so much promise that her coach suggested moving onto a more professional Olympic track.
“I was very nervous, and I didn’t really believe that I could really get to those levels,” Raz told The Jerusalem Report in a recent interview. “But I decided to take the risk, and I decided to take a leap of faith and get to the Olympic track.”
By 2019, Raz was already competing at her first World Championships. In the same year, she achieved the Israeli Olympic criterion, a breakthrough moment that transformed her confidence.
“When I did my best competition, and I achieved the Israeli criterion, I think that was the moment when I understood that, wow, I’m part of this place, and I can be there,” she said.
Among Raz’s defining milestones was her performance at the 2020 European Championships, where qualifying for the Olympics was on the line.
“I came to this competition knowing that I had to win the Israeli title if I wanted to secure my place in the Tokyo Olympics,” she said about the games, which were eventually held in the summer of 2021 due to COVID-19.
Due to the pandemic, Raz said she was under a great deal of pressure ahead of the games, arriving after months without regular training.
“It was not an easy period because there was the coronavirus, and we were at home for two months without training,” she recounted.
Despite the disruption, Raz secured her place in Tokyo and also won a medal at the European Championships.
From Tokyo to Paris
Reflecting on her first Olympic Games and how she has developed both personally and professionally, Raz said the difference between Tokyo and Paris was significant.
“I think that my experience really changed because when I went to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, I was 17, so I was a very young athlete, and it was my first Olympic Games,” she said. “It was all very new.”
Rather than focusing only on results, Raz arrived in Tokyo determined to relish the experience itself.
“I came to enjoy the competition because I said, wow, my achievement was to compete in the Olympic Games,” she said.
Three years later, at the Paris Games, Raz arrived far more experienced and confident.
“I arrived with a different feeling and also with slightly different goals,” she recalled, adding that with these games, too, there were some challenges, such as coaching changes.
“It wasn’t an easy cycle because I had all kinds of changes in the training team, and I switched coaches, and there were coaches who believed in me less,” she said.
Still, Raz said she tried to stay focused on returning to the Olympic stage.
“I knew that this was my biggest goal, to be able to make it to the Olympic Games in Paris,” she said. “And I knew that I was beyond capable.”
In Paris, however, Raz faced one of the most difficult moments of her career, placed as a first reserve but ultimately being left out of the competition.
“It was a difficult place to be in because I really warmed up with all the other athletes, and then I had to see them enter the competition and I was left behind,” she said. “But in any case, I was very happy. It was still a huge achievement for me.”
She has not let that experience hold her back, remaining focused on reaching the next Olympics, set for Los Angeles in 2028, and undertaking to attain a business degree at the University of Michigan while continuing to compete professionally.
“I’ve been doing this all my life, studying and practicing. I know how to work well under pressure,” she Raz stated.
The mental game
Asked how she handles such pressure, the young athlete pointed to years of mental training with a sports psychologist and to loving her chosen sport.
“It’s really about working on your mental strength, and knowing how to deal with all kinds of different situations,” Raz said, adding that mental resilience is one of the most overlooked aspects of elite sports.
She highlighted that the biggest lesson she has learned throughout her career is the importance of loving the sport itself.
“I think that first of all, to make sure that you always enjoy the sport because this is what drives us,” she explained. “The passion for the sport is the most important.”
She added that she especially enjoys the floor exercise for its music and choreography.
However, reaching such a level in her chosen sport has not been without some sacrifices.
“Especially in childhood, during the time I was in school... I had to give up a lot of meetings with friends and school trips,” she said.
“I also missed a lot of family trips,” she added.
In the end, however, she believes it was all worth it.
“There are a lot of obstacles, but I think it’s so worth it, and I wouldn’t think twice before I would do everything again,” said Raz, adding that representing her country has been a big motivator.
“To represent Israel is very meaningful, especially with everything that’s happening now,” she said. “So, even more to go to competitions and to show that we’re still strong and that we can still succeed in sports.” ■